First glitch...

...in the oh-so-perfect trip: my ipod and, apparently, my camera cord were stolen from my backpack at some point today (returning from our humid, hot, muddy, yet super FUN amazon trip!). So, at this point I´m not sure how I´ll be able to download pics... but I´ll try at every point I can.

Stirling and I fly to Talara tomorrow afternoon, for a couple days of R&R at, se dice, the best beaches in Peru (Mancora, Punta Sal, etc). Later in the week, we´ll make our way to the Galapagos via Guayaquil, EC.

In the meantime, feel free to peruse Jamie´s pics from our first week and a half together:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jamiephillips70/Peru2007?authkey=rHFL8lyU2VA

Tren a Puno/Lago Titicaca

Machu Picchu

Train to Machu Picchu

For definitely not the last time, one hotel employee carried all three of our packs to the train station. We waited a few minutes, listening to the various languages around us and repeating ´no gracias´ to the same dolls and bags we had seen in Cusco.

The ride to Aguas Calientes took us along the Rio Urubamba, and was gorgeous. If possible, sit on the left-hand side to best views.

We arrived in Aguas Calientes and changed over to a bus for the switch-backs up to the base of Machu Picchu.

Sacred Valley, 4.10

So with Stirling stuck in Lima, we knew we had to start our tour without her. We decided to do a private tour in the first place because we had heard so many great things about the Sacred Valley, and by not going with 50 other annoying people...we would have the flexibility in case something happened with Stir´s flight (isnt it amazing when you actually DO have foresight?!)..or in case she didn´t feel well with the altitude, and we needed to cut the day short.

For the non-toury-type people we are, the experience far surpassed our expectations. We were in a nice minivan, with a driver and a guide, Renaldo.(Peru Tours...aka Lima Tours..it kind of went by both names). He quickly got on board with our humor and jokes, and was so professional and attentive, we finally had to tell him to chill out(we saw him later in the week at Machu Picchu and he was like hugging us, etc. I suppose we werent his average tour..). We stopped whenever we wanted to take pics and could spend as much time as we wanted at each stop. Plus, we finally were able to get all of our ignorant Inca, Cusco, Mach Picch, etc, questions answered by a (hired) local.

Keep in mind, we were still missing a third of the trio. All morning long Stirling and I were texting back and forth, while I was working through IF\THEN equations with Renaldo: IF her flight takes off an hour late, then she meets us at the market in Pisac. IF its delayed later, then when is our next stop, etc. Renaldo was super in to Project Stirling...he was just as concerned as to her whereabouts and ETA as we were..it was really cute.

Our first spontaneous stop of the morning was at Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "Sexy Woman"...no joke). We had heard a lot about it, but were glad that we didn´t make a special trip from Cusco to visit it alone. Renaldo told us everything we needed to know from the comfort of the side of the rode overlooking the ´sexy ruins´.

We pulled over next as we reached the highest point of our journey for a birds-eye view of the Sacred Valley. It´s more or less an oval: our first stop in the valley was Pisac (famous for its markets) - at the opposite end is, Ollyantatambo, where we´d finish up and spend the evening.



And situated just about in the middle of the Valley is Urubamba, now made famous by the miraculous arrival of Stirling just in time for lunch! Her cab driver was slightly obsessed with her (but, really, who isn´t?)...so I think there was mutual relief that we were finally all together. Again..Renaldo, estatic...



After lunch and a celebratory cerveza at the cute Sonesta Posada del Inca, we departed for Ollyantaytambo. It was windy by the time we arrived at the fortress, but it was our first exposure to the Inca ruins, so we really wanted to see and learn all that we could. The key take-away, at least for me, was how brilliant these people were. From their agricultural techniques to the design of each temple and ruin - it was all totally well-thought out and logical. How many communities today can claim that? It was also so interesting to understand the intimate connection the Incas felt with nature. I´ve noticed this bond with the natural is prevalant in so many Peruvians even today.



At the end of a long day, we arrived at our darling hotel (Jamie definitely wins the award for best hotel finds!), Pakaritampu. It was just outside of town, and a mere 4 minute walk to our train station the next morning. I highly recommend this day en route to MP. A) you dont need to board the train at 6am from Cusco, and 2) the Valle Sagrado is such an important piece of this region´s puzzle. It seems silly to dart from Cusco to MP without this exposure..



I´ll admit, however, that even after such a wonderful and full day, the highlight for me was finally sitting down with Jamie and Stirling over bottle of Chilean wine. I literally sat back as they played the Texas name game (which I tuned out) and counted my blessings for both having these two amazing friends in my life, and for having this unique opportunity to share this Peruvian experience with them. With so many wonderfully exciting, yet time-consuming, things going on in our lives right now, it´s hard enough to set phone dates, let alone international travel dates. I´ll remember this moment.. with two of my very best life friends.. in that upstairs bar.. watching the color of the mountains fade to black.. in a town with far too many syllables.. forever.

Cusco

Jamie and I arrived in Cusco Sunday afternoon. After all that we had read and heard about the altitude, we didn´t know what to expect. When the guy in front of us leaving the airplane almost fell over, we sort of freaked out... but then realized that he had just tripped.

It was sunny and clear, and such a contrast from the coast. All the buildings have red roofs and the town is quite colonial. It actually reminded me a bit of Guanajuato, Mexico...

Jamie had found a neat hotel, Los Niños II (www.ninoshotel.com...there is also Los Niños on the opposite side of town), which is run by a Dutch couple. About 10 years ago during a visit, they decided to do something for the numerous children wandering the streets begging\working. Today, all profits from the two hotels fund daily support for over 500 children. We saw many of them wandering, we assumed to class, through our courtyard - hands behind their backs, SOO polite, greeting the guests in both english and spanish. The rooms were simple and clean, and the staff super helpful. Plus, all you can drink mate de cocoa... which came in handy after I almost passed out my first night in town.. not sure if it was the altitude, the peruvian wine or the strain on my brain trying to negotiate our tour of the Valle Sagrado for Tuesday. Probably a combination of the three, but other than that..and being winded walking up the steep streets, we were fine from an altitude perspective. Highly recommend the hotel as a simple, inexpensive option, just request a room away from the street..as the dogs of Cusco act like they own the place.

Per a recommendation from Juan´s sister, we ate at Inka Grill right on the Plaza de Armas. It was great, and perfect for our first night in order to get our bearings. But the highlight of the night for me was being taken for a Spaniard! As in many tourist towns around the world, servers hang outside their restaurants sweet-talking you in.. and when I responded to one that we had already eaten, he continued to strike up a conversation, asking me if I was "de Espana".. I almost hugged the guy!

Monday morning we had breakfast at Ayula (another local reco), right next to the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, before heading out to explore the town. Cusco has just about everything...and about everything 400 times. Really. 90 percent of the tiendas are one-stop shopping: tour agency, digital camera cards, water, postcards, ponchos, crappy internet, laundry, etc. And most streets have about six of those shops. I kept saying that I wanted to write the mayor of Cusco to provide some sort of retail consult. Same goes for the kids\teens selling finger puppets, dolls and postcards on the street. They are all the same, and there are hundreds of kids selling the exact same thing. Oh and the art, and they all say they painted it..or their husband (I fell for that one first thing Monday morning)\mother\brother\etc painted it. And you feel for them because they are actually trying, rather than simply begging....but, really, what does one do with a finger puppet?

Jamie and I had lunch in San Blas at a cool place called The Muse. Cool menu, fun international music, very cool atmosphere, amazing view of the city (we sat on a couch looking out the large door over town)...but I think we were there for 2 hours waiting on our food. And not to be the antsy-pantsy Americans with oh-so-many important places to go, but it was a little excessive. And there were only about 6 people in there...another couple was complaining loudly as we were leaving. Maybe just a bad day, so I would still recommend it.

Next we spend some time at the Museo de Incas - to, as we put it, get a high-level understanding of the history and evolution of the local culture. We also both bought cool tapestries to take home and frame. The owner and his daughters worked the shop, which happened to be across from the Museo de Incas, and were adorable. He immediately guessed that I was from California since I was "so warm, friendly and open..unlike the New Yorkers", he said... HA! I guess Jamie can claim half and half...

The day had already gotten away from us, so we killed some time before dinner at Mundio Net. Althought it may appear as if there is internet on every corner, as I previously implied...apparently INTERNET is a general term used for a keyboard and a screen. A guide book had recommended Mundio Net, and while no local could tell us where it was, I highly recommend making the trip to Calle Santa Teresa 17 (which is really just a couple streets off the main plaza). You´ll save time in the long run because you´ll have decent connectivity and all the other functions you might need, plus it´s super inexpensive.

We had dinner at Cicciolina (Calle Triunfo 393 2do. piso), another local recommendation. Again, very cool atmosphere..Jamie and I were seated in the best table in the place, like a lovers nook overlooking the street. Amazing food...homenade and most of the menu was organic.

After a very full day, we retured to Los Niños to call it a night. Stirling had landed in Lima, but something was not right since she wasn´t able to confirm her flight from Lima to Cusco in the morning. At 5am Tuesday morning, the first of our many texts back and forth began.. her flight, and all other early morning flights, had been cancelled... and so began the Amazing Race to get Stirling to meet us in the Valle Sagrado...

INCREIBLE!

Wow...where to begin. I don´t know how this past weekend could have gone any smoother. Actually, esa es una mentira - it could have been better if I hadn´t been taken under by an 8 foot wave and 4 sommersaults later left the ocean with about 7 pounds of sand in all those fun places in your bikini! Yes, that was the low point.. but worth every second!

But I´m getting ahead of myself...disculpame...

I arrived at my Lima hotel Friday night around midnight. I decided to stay at the Marriott in Miraflores after Juan decided at Blue Devil Weekend that I was high maintenance and he was worried about my safety anywhere else. I´m not going to lie, it´s always nice to be comfortable that first night arriving anywhere...and my poofy bed, steamy shower and a full view of the ocean and up and down the coast of Miraflores was just that. Jamie joined me after her red-eye the next morning, and we had a quick bite before heading out to see Lima with Juan and Jenny, another Peruvian girl who will be with us at Duke this fall. Both are super great and I´m so excited to spend more time with them these next two years!

It was Semana Santa, so the downtown, historic area was packed with everyone visiting all the cathedrals. Everyone has off Thursday and Friday to visit the cathedrals, and then at noon on Friday everything closes and the rest of the weekend is spent with family. So we walked around a bit, and then stopped in at the Maury Hotel for our first Pisco Sour. With my egg fetish, I was somewhat apprehensive about the egg-white part of the drink, but I just didn´t think about it. And it was sooo good, I LOVED it! (which could get dangerous..pisco is bastante fuerte). Pues, off we went to lunch with a little one-drink buzz...

We went back to Miraflores and had a great lunch of ceviche, fish and passion fruit pisco sours at Rosa Nautica, which was out on the tip of a pier. We enjoyed a wonderful view of the coastline, which reminded me a bit of South OC or San Diego. Lima is definitely a city of contrasts, but in my opinion (sure, after one day of being there..with two locals), is that it certainly warrants a visit. So many tourists by-pass it completely, which is a mistake.

We then said good-bye to Jenny (I plan to see her again when I´m back in Lima on the 21st)..and headed 98km south to Asia, a coastal resort town for the wealthy of Lima. The drive reminded me a bit of Baja California, or even further south like in Cabo - it´s definitely the desert. Quick side note: if you look at a map of Peru, you can generalize that it can be divided into thirds. The desert along the Pacific Coast, the highlands down the center (including Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake TitiCaca, but also glaciers and the northern highlands), and the jungle\Amazon along the eastern region.

So we arrived at his Juan´s family´s beach house, which they had rented for the month of March thru Semana Santa. We met his wonderful family and were immediately very welcomed. The weekend we were there turned out to be like our Labor Day - last weekend of the summer, so all of Juan´s friends were down there with their families as well (what are the odds..) Friday night, many of them came over for drinks...and it was so interesting talking to them. Most had gone to British, American or Swiss schools growing up, and their English was great. They all looked very European; certainly a contrast from the crowds we had seen downtown that morning. They were all articulate and bright, and understood how different their lives were from the vast majority of Peruvians (a "very small bubble" I heard a couple times). But they had the same pride in their culture and people. Daniella, an adorable girl (with an equally adorable boyfriend!), told us how she often gets taken for a tourist, and particularly in touristy places, like Cusco, her "own people" will speak English to her. She then responds "No, no... I´m one of you! We´re the same people!" She was preciosa.

Saturday we spent just chilling on the beach and talking...the weather was perfect. Then came the whole wave incident.. like, I should have taken the hint when I was the only girl going in, right?! Ah well.. And then Juan fired up the parilla and made the most amazing meal for us all, and we just sat out on the deck, had some drinks, and listened to music. It was heaven! Saturday night, we ventured to the Boulevard, which is where all the action is. Asia is made up of private residental communities, and then the main area, with all the shops, clubs and restaurants, is called the Boulevard. Basically, for all you SoCal folks, it was like Triangle Square or the Block. Oh yeah, and everyone LOOKED like they were from OC as well. It was the most bizarre thing...I kept thinking I was seeing people I knew from home. So we danced for a bit, but then Jamie and I called it an early night (3am) - que gringas somos!

Such an amazingly unique weekend to spend with locals, learning about their lives and culture in such an intimate environment. Such wonderful, wonderful people... But for now, we´re back to being tourists.. and we´re off to Cusco!

Sfor the delayed updates..some technical challenges on the road (and I thought Bally was bad!).. To answer many of your texts\emails, no I havent been kidnapped or trapped in an Inka ruin!

Por fin...on my way!

Well I'm a few hours from departure time, and am SO excited to get down to Peru. The past six days - er actually, the past six months - have been a whirlwind. But business school is finally on the horizon, and over the next four months I'll have multiple opportunities to travel with friends and family, and mentally prepare for b-school.

Ok, need to stay focused. I can already tell that's going to be a problem for me within this blog concept. But, hey, isn't that the point? Heard of 'stream of consciousness' people? Since this is my blog, I'll go ahead and take full liberty at format, style, etc. Your feedback (aka 'Comments') is apparently welcomed here at blogspot, but by no means does that makes this a democratic process. I'll try to keep you all entertained, but some stories may just have to be left offline...

So over the past couple months I've met a number of wonderful Peruvians, most of whom will be attending Duke with me this fall. All have been most helpful in planning my itinerary and anxious to offer recommendations and advice. Muchas gracias a todos ustedes! I'm excited to meet a couple of them in person for the first time tomorrow in Lima.

I'll have a couple travel mates this trip, which is going to make this experience quite unique for me. Jamie, a best friend from high school and Huntington Beach, now lives in NYC. Steve and I stayed with Jamie when we ran the NYC marathon in November - and that was when this trip, albeit at a very high level, was conceived. Jamie will meet me in Lima tomorrow and spend the next ten days with us in Peru. Stirling, a best friend from UVA, will join us in Cusco on Tuesday, and will actually stay with me through the Galapagos. She recently was accepted into Yale's residency program, and now has a couple months off to decompress from med school. Stirling and I actually spend a semester together in Buenos Aires back in 2000, so this is a 'South America Parte Dos' for us. To have this opportunity to spend time overseas with Jamie and Stirling is truly a blessing.

My first weekend will be spent in Asia, a coastal down 97KM south of Lima. A new Duke friend, Juan, has invited us to stay with his family at a beach house there. There's NO way the rest of the trip is going to work out THAT perfectly.. so stay tuned... :)